Got a friend that shore fishes bass, cats, pike, pan fish. Doesn’t catch anything big, just the normal run of the day fish. He wants me to make him a rod that he can do it all with. I told him good luck! He said to “do your best”. So, what would you recommend for a do all rod in the 6-6 1/2’ length range? I was thinking maybe a medium light power?

David,
You were certainly correct in telling your friend / customer “good luck”. A “do all” rod will not perform any specific task optimally. But then, your friend’s acceptance reply of “do your best”, takes you off the hook (pun intended). When one really gets down to it, virtually ANY rod can catch virtually ANY fish but catching a crappie with a tuna stick is not much fun and inversely catching a tuna on an UL would require some serious angling skills!
That being said, understood and accepted by your friend, your thought of a med light power rod is probably good, something in the 4 - 10lb range. Fast - med / fast action. Seriously consider FG over CF; FG tends to be more full-flexing to make the pan fish fight more fun while tougher for the larger cats and pike. Just my thoughts but I’ll be following your post to see what others (who dare to dive into the realm of “iffy”) have to offer.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

If I had to choose only one rod to fish freshwater where I live in central AL, I would pick a SJ703 (ML-F) spinning. Aside from pike I have caught all those fish on it. I even hauled in a 7lb White Buffalo carp fishing a 1/10oz ned rig. I can fish shallow and weedles with a weedless ned or wacky worm. I use it for underspins with small swimbaits for Alabama spotted bass. It is also my go to for small jerkbaits like the X-75 and X-80 trick darter. Not the perfection we all chase for everything, but I tend to have the most fun fishing light with this rod in my hands.

Good luck is right But my fishing habits tend to align with your friends.SO..

I would check out the Mud Hole CRB IS701ML or the MHX SJ782-MBP they are very durable and inexpensive. I use them and recommend them.

The CRB IS701ML is 7ft but can be trimmed down to 6 1/2 ft. from the butt.

Mark Talmo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> David,
> You were certainly correct in telling your friend
> / customer “good luck”. A “do all” rod
> will not perform any specific task optimally. But
> then, your friend’s acceptance reply of “do
> your best”, takes you off the hook (pun
> intended). When one really gets down to it,
> virtually ANY rod can catch virtually ANY fish but
> catching a crappie with a tuna stick is not much
> fun and inversely catching a tuna on an UL would
> require some serious angling skills!
> That being said, understood and accepted by your
> friend, your thought of a med light power rod is
> probably good, something in the 4 - 10lb range.
> Fast - med / fast action. Seriously consider FG
> over CF; FG tends to be more full-flexing to make
> the pan fish fight more fun while tougher for the
> larger cats and pike. Just my thoughts but I’ll
> be following your post to see what others (who
> dare to dive into the realm of “iffy”) have to
> offer.

Hi Mark,
Sorry for my ignorance but what is FG and CF?

What is a "medium light" power?

At the time, the G.Loomis MB 783 (6'6") or MB 843 (7') turned out to be extremely good all-around freshwater rod blanks. 3/16th to 3/4 ounce lures. Not too light and not too heavy. Extremely versatile and excellent for all-around bass fishing. Find a blank that matches those specs and you'll do about as well as you can.

The same rod that fishes great for panfish isn't likely to fish well for Pike and Cats, and vice versa. There is no rod that can do everything well in such a wide spectrum. Maybe you can push your customer into buying two rods.

..............

David,
You are not ignorant but simply uninformed. FG = fiberglass, CF = carbon fiber.
I totally agree with Tom = convince your friend to have you build him 2 rods; a 2-6lb UL (ultralight) and a bit heavier 6-10 or possibly an 8-12lb rod = combined, they will suit the species sought much better than 1 “do all (sort of)” rod. Furthermore, you will get twice the building experience = sounds like a win, win to me!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Thanks everyone, I will see what I can do to get him to do two rods, but doubtful

I would tend to lean towards a "medium".

If I were tasked to build a rod for "everything", I would look to the American Tackle Matrix MA-SP66-2/6-15 - it checks off all the boxes. It is 6 1/2" long, a 2-piece blank making transport easier, and is rated for line from 6lb through 15lb. It is a Mod-Fast so the panfish will still provide some fight, yet it also hase the beefier butt section to handle the larger fish. Rated for 1/4 to 5/8 ounce lures, it is a very flexible platform! I have one set up as a spinning rod with titamium guides fo I can even use it in the salt. It has never failed me, and I have felt each and every fish due to the sensitivity of the blank!

With gel-spun line a surprisingly small reel can handle a surprisingly big fish. A fiberglass rod is more resistant to breakage than a graphite rod. Your friend should consider these facts when selecting his blank and components.

:One cannot have too many rods. Like purses and women's shoes. Two isn't even close. Ten isn't even close.

Having said this, we should remember this comment: "Doesn’t catch anything big, just the normal run of the day fish." This would lead me to a long, (about 7 1/2 feet for good shore casting distance) medium power, mod-fast or fast action. It won't do everything well, but will do most.